Growing a beard takes time and perseverance, and your efforts can become quickly eroded during harsh weather conditions. Therefore, if you want your beard to remain healthy all year, it is best to follow a few simple winterizing tips that will help you prevent ending up with brittle and broken facial hair. In fact, a short daily routine that includes beard oil can give your beard an enhanced appearance, and it will also protect your facial hair from the ravages of a cold and dry climate.

Steps

1

Clean your beard properly.

Your hygiene routine needs to include cleaning your face and beard. Some people can get away with washing their beard only twice per week, but you might need to do it daily, depending on how dirty it gets. Either way, wash your face daily and always rinse your beard every day.

2

Make sure to apply a beard wash that does not contain any known skin irritants. Harsh sulfates are one of the most common irritants, especially for sensitive facial skin.

3

Steer clear of most silicones. This will help you to avoid having long-term problems, such as breakage due to a lack of nutrients. There are many ingredients that indicate the presence of potentially damaging silicones, including Trimethylsilylamodimetheicone, Amodimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearoxy Dimethicone and Phenyl Trimethicone.

It is safe to use a beard wash that is made with water-soluble silicone instead. If you see the following ingredients listed in place of harsher alternatives, you can utilize the beard wash without exposing your skin to the most well-known irritants: Lauryl Methicone Copolyol, Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane and Dimethicone Copolyol. However, choosing a beard wash product that does not contain any silicone is still preferable for the health of your facial hair.

4

Dry your beard hair thoroughly. After you finish washing your face and beard, remove as much of the water from your beard as possible. Dry off your face completely––keep a clean towel on hand to accomplish this step.

Part 1

Grooming Your Beard

1

Brush or comb out your beard after grooming it, every single time. This will help remove any extra dead skin follicles.

2

Apply beard oil. Invest in a good beard oil. As with the beard wash, get a beard oil with quality ingredients.

3

Put a few drops of beard oil on your skin daily. Work the oil into your beard. Doing this slowly will give you the best results. Beard oil helps to condition your facial hair, and it will help it to grow stronger and softer. A good starter beard oil to try out is any unscented beard oil until you find out how well the skin on your face is going to tolerate winter conditions and your new facial hair. For example, Lumberjack's Beard Oil carries an oil called Unscented Blend that has ingredients like sweet almond oil and Vitamin E, but no harsh chemicals.

4

Add a touch of mustache wax. Your skin needs to stay hydrated during the winter. If you add just a touch of mustache wax to your normal beard oil routine, you will help your beard stay more moisturized and protected from the elements.

Part 2

Maintaining Your Beard

1

Avoid snow and ice.

2

Allowing your beard to become wet from snow, ice or freezing rain can cause it to dry out. Due to this possibility, you should always protect your beard as much as possible with a scarf.

If your beard does become wet, it is important to wipe off the water right away. Make sure that you never allow ice or snow to remain in your facial hair for an extended period of time.